Press

"I felt there was one artistic work at the Ruhrtriennale that connected to humanity — and it wasn’t in a theater. Over the past decade, the Swiss artist Mats Staub has conducted hundreds of interviews with individuals of various ages and backgrounds for “21 — Memories of Growing Up,” which has been installed in a turbine hall in Bochum. Spread over 50 different stations, the video interviews provide varied reflections on maturity, independence and happiness. The project feels like an archive of human strivings and the possibility for rebirth."
New York Times, 27.08.2021

"21 is insightful and poignant; there's something calming and touching about the humanity common to all the interviewees, whether discussing political activism during the Cold War or falling in love for the first time, there's the same sense of quiet, tender nostalgia flickering across their faces. It's why choosing to film the participants listening to their recollections, as opposed to actively describing them, is a genius touch. It seems that we're more similar than we think; no matter where we come from, the memories we hold closest to us as we age are ones of love, family and the early formations of identity."
The Skinny, 19.08.2019

"Watching these strangers grapple with their memories, and how to construct their own narratives, you think of the story you would tell: where were you when you turned 21? What kind of person were you? And which words would you use to describe that? At its most basic, the work questions the concept of adulthood, as it’s experienced around the world and across history, and how it’s changed over time. (…) I spent four hours in the exhibition, and I could have spent four more, it’s addictive."
The Guardian, 12.03.2018

"The art of human connection"
CityMag Adelaide, 15.02.2018

"This is the transcendent aspect of the project 21: it breaks the boundaries of race, class and culture and it allows people who have grown up in disparate parts of the world and sometimes in vastly different circumstances to feel a deep connection with another human being."
Passages, Nr 64

"Astonishing moments of direct emotion conveyed through facial expressions: with his numerous projects Mats Staub is developing a form of artistic anthropology that science cannot achieve. This fabulous work is worth visiting again and again. Definitely."
Der Standard, 18.05.2015

Stations

Bochum, Ruhrtriennale, August–September 2021
Dresden, Hellerau – European Centre for the Arts (January–February 2020
Madrid, Centro Conde Duque, (November 2019–January 2020)
Strasbourg, Maillon Théâtre de Strasbourg Scène Europénne, (November–December 2019)
Munich, Spielart Festival (October–November 2019)
Kinshasa, Young Congo Biennale (October–November 2019)
Paris, Centre culturel suisse (September–October 2019)
Edinburgh, Fringe Festival (August 2019)
Lubumbashi, Centre d'Art Waza (May–June 2019)
Frankfurt, Historisches Museum (November 2018–April 2019)
Mannheim, Nationaltheater Mannheim (September–October 2018)
Weimar, Kunstfest Weimar (August–September 2018)
Fribourg, Festival Belluard Bollwerk International (June–July 2018)
Lausanne, Théâtre Vidy, Festival 'programme commun' (March 2018)
Adelaide, Adelaide Festival (March 2018)
Bloemfontein, University of the Free State (October 2017)
Zurich, Zürcher Theaterspektakel (August 2017)
Johannesburg, Gallery 1989 at the Market Photo Workshop (July–August 2017)
Cape Town, D6 Museum / Encounters – International Documentary Film Festival (May–June 2017)
Basel, University / Kaserne on the move (October 2016)
Groningen, Noorderzon Festival (August 2016)
Freiburg, Theater Freiburg (March 2016)
Vienna, Wiener Festwochen (May–June 2015)
Basel, Museum der Kulturen (October 2014–May 2015)
Weimar, Kunstfest Weimar (August–September 2014)
Zurich, Gessnerallee (March–May 2014)
Stuttgart, Theater Rampe (November 2013–January 2014)
Bern, Museum für Kommunikation (August–October 2013)
Hannover, Festival Theaterformen (June 2013)
Frankfurt, Künstlerhaus Mousonturm (September 2012)